richards and d



W. F. RICHARDS AND D. C. DAVIS.

BUFFING GEAR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 1. I9I5.

L323J87, Patented De. 2,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. F. RICHARDS AND D. C. DAVIS.

BUFFING GEAR FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I. I9I5.

Iuten'wd Dec. 2,1919.

2 sHEET's-SHEEI 2.

5N @I I C C Q C C C I` C .III A /IHIAI/.I Www.- ,f m III .LH/M.- \I\W d )w A@ )x D STATES ATENE @FFEE WILLARD F. RICHARDS, 0F DEEW, AND DONALD C. DAVIS, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS T0 GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BUFFING-GEAR FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Application filed October 1, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLARD F. RICH- ARus and DONALD C. Davis, citizens of the United States, lresiding at Depew and Buffalo, respectively, in the county of Erieand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in BuHing-Gears for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to buiing gears for railway cars and more particularly to frict-ion bufiing gears for use with the platform buffers of railway passenger cars.

The cars of a train are adapted to move toward and from each other to the extent permitted by the yielding draft gears coupling the cars together, and in order that the platform buffers on the adjacent cars may be retained always in contact or prevented from separating so as to leave a space between them in which ones foot could be caught and injured, the buffers are so arranged relative to the car couplers that they are projected outwardly by their springs when the cars are uncoupled beyond the position which they occupy when the cars are coupled. The buffers, therefore, have to be shoved inwardly toward the cars and their operating springs compressed when coupling the cars together, and in the movements of the cars away from each other the buers will be moved outwardly by their springs and be retained in contact. Ordinarily, the couplers have a travel of two and one half inches both inwardly and outwardly from the intermediate position which they occupy when the cars are coupled to-A gether, and the buffers should be arranged to move a corresponding distance.

The obj ect of the invention is to produce a friction buiilngl mechanism of simple and practical construction in which the friction producing elements have a free or-non-friction-producing action sufficient to permit the movements of two coperating buffers necessary for coupling two cars together and retaining the buffers in contact, and which operates to produce the required friction to resist bufling shocks which force the buffers inwardly beyond the position normally occupied by them when the cars are coupled.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l, is a plan view partly in section of a platform buffer for passenger cars pro- Speoication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

Serial No. 53,626.

vided with a bufling gear embodying the invention, and showing the parts in the normal position which they occupy when the cars are uncoupled.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof in line 2 2, Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 1,'showing the positions occupied by the parts when two cars are coupled together.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the bulling gear in line 4--4, Fig. 1.

A represents a portion of the platform frame of a passenger car; B the platform buffer, and C the coupler, all of which may be of any usual or suitable construction and arrangement. The buier, as usual, is provided with a center stem b and pivoted side stems b passing through guide openings in the platform endsill a, and righting springs b2 acting on the side stems b hold the buffer yieldingly in a position parallel with the end sill a. The drawbar or shank c of the coupler is connected to any suitable draft and bufling gear (not shown). Fig. l shows the normal position of the buffer,'or position which it occupies when the cars are uncoupled, and Fig. 3 shows the position nor'- mally occupied by the buffer when two cars are coupled together.

The buffmg gear, in the construction shown, comprises a boX orv case D, which is stationarily supported back of the end sill a and has an open end facing the end sill; a follower E, which is adapted to be engaged and forced toward the open end of the box or case by the inner end of the central buffer stem b; wedge or friction blocks F which are adapted to be moved lengthwise in the box or case by the movement of the follower toward the box or case and are provided with inclined faces f adapted to engage cooperating converging friction faces G in the box or case D by which the wedge or friction blocks are moved laterally toward each other; and a spring H, preferably composed of bowed spring plates, arranged lengthwise between the Wedge blocks, which resists the lateral movement of the wedge blocksby the converging faces in the boX or case. In the normal or outward position of the wedge blocks F, shown in Fig. 1, their inclined faces f are out of contact with the converging friction faces G and the wedge blocks are therefore adapted to move inwardly in the boX or case without lateral movement until their inclined faces are brought into contact with the inclined friction faces G. rIhis movement of the wedge or friction blocks, which is' sufficient to permit the coupling of two cars is resisted by one or more springs I arranged in the box or case and acting outwardly against the Wedge blocks, preferably through the niedium of a plate or follower K extending cross wise in the box or case between the inner ends of the wedge or friction blocks and the springs I. In the further inner movement of the wedge blocks the converging friction faces G, acting against the inclined faces f of the wedge blocks force the wedge blocks laterally toward each other and compress the spring H and the friction thus produced between the friction faces G and the wedge blocks cooperates with the springs I in resisting such further inward o r buiiing movement of the wedge blocks and the buffer B. There are preferably two of the springs I, which are coil springs, arranged side by side in the box or case D, and they are of suficient strength to offer the desired resistance to the coupling movement of the buffer from its normal outer position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3. In addition to the springs I, two short coil springs Z are prileferably arranged in the springs I. These s ort springs i act in conjunction with the springs I in resisting the continued or buing movement of the bufferinwardly beyond the position shown in Fig. 3, and the springs I and t' together are strong enough to exert the necessary force to release the Wedge blocks from engagement with the friction faces G.

The wedge blocks are wedge shaped for only a portion of their length and are straight faced, or not inclined from the inner ends of their inclined faces f to the inner ends of the blocks. In order to guide the wedge blocks and prevent them from rocking on the springs H during the coupling movement thereof before the friction faces engage, the blocks are preferably provided at opposite sides with straight edged ribs L adapted to slide in corresponding guide grooves Z in the box or case D at the opposite side of the friction faces G. These ribs also strengthen the thin ends of the wedge blocks. Z indicates lips at the inner ends of the wedge blocks adapted to engage shoulders Z2 in the box or case D at the inner ends of the friction faces G for preventing the accidental escape of the wedge blocks and spring H from the open end of the box in the case.

As shown, the buiiing gear is supported in a chamber formed by a central integral extension M of the end sill a with the inner end of the box or case D abutting against the end wall m of said extension and with the follower E in position to be engaged and forced toward the box or case by the inner end of the central buffer stem b, but manifestly the gear could be mounted in any other suitable supporting structure and it can be reversed end for end with the fol-' lower E against the end wall m or other suitable abutment and with the box or case D arranged to be engaged' and forced toward the follower by the stem Z).

IVhile a box or case, such as the box D described which contains the movable parts of the gear and is provided with the friction faces G, is preferably employed, such a box or case is not absolutely essential to the invention, since other constructions could be employed in which the friction faces G are arranged and coperate with the inclined faces of t-he wedge blocks to allow the free coupling movement thereof in the manner explained.

We claim as our invention:

1. A friction gear comprising wedge 'blocks having inclined faces at one end thereof and straight longitudinal guide portions at the other end thereof, coiiverging friction faces which are normally out of contact with and are adapted to engage the inclined faces of said wedge blocksV to cause the same to move laterally after said wedge blocks have moved longitudinally through a predetermined distance, guide faces on which said guide portions of the wedge blocks slide for guiding said blocks during their longitudinal movement through said predetermined distances, when the inclined faces of the wedge blocks are not in contact with said converging faces, said .friction faces and guide faces extending lengthwise of said gear and being arranged side by side. a spring which normally holds I said inclined and friction faces out'of contact and resists the longitudinal movement of said wedge blocks, and a spring which resists the lateral movement of said wedge blocks.

2. A friction gear comprising a box open at one end and provided with inwardly converging friction faces and longitudinal guide faces, said friction faces and guide faces extending lengthwise of the box and being arranged side by side, wedge blocks which have inclined faces at their outer portions that are normally out of contact with and are adapted to engage said converging faces .of the box after said blocks have moved longitudinally through a predetermined distance, and longitudinal guide faces at the inner portions of said wedge blocks which slide on said lguide faces of the box to guide said Wedge blocks when the wedge blocks are not in contact with said converging faces, a spring which resists the longitudinal inward movement of said wedge blocks and normally holds the inclined faces of the wedge blocks out of contact with said converging faces, and a spring between said wedge blocks which resists movement of said wedge blocks' toward eachother due to the engagement of said converging faces with said inclined faces ofthe wedge blocks.

3. A friction gear comprising a box open at one end and provided with inwardly converging friction faces and longitudinal guide grooves at opposite sides of said friction faces, wedge blocks which are movable longitudinally in said box and have inclined outer faces adapted to engage said converging faces of the box when said wedge blocks are forced inwardly in the box, and longitudinal guide ribs at opposite sides of said inclined faces adapted to move in said guide grooves, a spring which resists the longitudinal inward movement of said wedge blocks and normally holds the inclined faces of the wedge blocks out of contact with said converging faces, and a spring between said wedge blocks which resists movement of said wedge 'blocks toward each other due to the engagement of said converging faces with said inclined faces of the wedge blocks.

4;. A friction gear comprising a box open at one end and provided with inwardly converging friction faces, guide grooves at opposite sides of said friction faces, and shoulders at the inner ends of said converging faces, wedge blocks which are movable longitudinally in said box and have inclined outer faces adapted to engage said converging faces of the box when said wedge blocks are forced inwardly in the box, longitudinal ribs at opposite sides of ,said wedge blocks which move in said guide grooves, and shoulders at the inner ends of the wedge blocks adapted to engage said shoulders in the box to prevent displacement of the wedge blocks from the box, a spring which resists the longitudinal inner movement of said wedge blocks and normally holds the `inclined faces of the wedge blocks out of contact with said converging faces, and a spring between said wedge blocks which resists movement of said wedge blocks toward each other due to the engagement of said converging faces with said inclined faces of vthe wedge blocks.

Witness our hands this 29th day of September, 1915.

' WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

DONALD C. DAVIS. Witnesses:

ALLEN B. BREMMER, GEORGE E. HAMMOND. 

